Partnership with LMU begins with opening of Playa Vista Elementary School

A new elementary school has opened as the first educational institution in the Playa Vista community.

Playa Vista Elementary School opened its doors earlier this month offering classes in science, technology, engineering and math education.

The 575-seat school features 24 classrooms as well as technology and science laboratories, and outdoor educational spaces, including a “learning garden.” The building has an eco-conscious design that uses solar energy and environmentally friendly building materials.

Through a partnership with nearby Loyola Marymount University, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the community, the children of LMU faculty and staff members will be allowed to attend the school and LMU’s School of Education will provide research-based teaching methods, best practices and professional development.

The LMU Center for Urban Resilience will also provide environmental education tied to the school’s proximity to the Ballona Wetlands and the adjacent Discovery Park. Eric Strauss, the center’s director and president’s professor of biology, will coordinate the ecology-specific programs in collaboration with the Friends of Ballona Wetlands.

“This is really a wonderful launch to what will be a model teaching demonstration school giving us the opportunity to share research-based best practices that benefit the community, the school district and LMU,” Shane P. Martin, dean of the LMU School of Education, said.